


Appreciation

by eleni459 (quietcuriosity)



Series: Turbulence and Tranquility: 30 Kisses for Anemone and Dominic [14]
Category: Koukyoushihen Eureka Seven | Eureka seveN (Anime)
Genre: Canon - Anime, Community: 30_kisses, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-30
Updated: 2011-05-30
Packaged: 2017-10-22 01:28:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/232192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietcuriosity/pseuds/eleni459
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anemone goes off on a mission and Dominic doesn't realize the importance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Appreciation

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for [](http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=30_kisses)[30_kisses](http://www.livejournal.com/users/30_kisses/). Theme: "#07 - Superstar".
> 
> This story is situated after episode 37.

"Just where were you today?"

Dominic didn't look up at first. That Gulliver had stopped with his incessant chirping and trilling could mean only one thing. But the silence was soon broken by the rhythmic tap of her shoe. It wouldn't be long before he would be greeted with a barrage of insults and accusations. So he placed his pen on the table and pushed the pile of papers away from him. He looked up and met her inquiring pink eyes without hesitation. "I had a lot of work to catch up on. Besides, it's not like you missed me."

"'Missing you' is the least of it," she said with a smirk. She skipped up to the table and took the seat across from Dominic. She picked up the stack of papers and flipped through them quickly. With a sigh, she placed them back in their spot. " _This_ was enough for you to stick me with the barely competent 'B' team? _This_ is more worthy of your time than me? All I saw was a bunch of meaningless reports about your budget and your daily activities."

"Those are only meaningless to you," he said. "To me..."

"They're still meaningless. Your only real responsibilities are to me. " She smiled as she buffed her nails against her skirt. But she suddenly stopped and her eyes shifted up in contemplation. With a jolt, she pushed forward and stuck her finger in his face. "But you may have a point. In fact," she said, "I think I should ask Dewey to give you assistant."

"Could you ask for such a thing?" Dominic winced the moment the words left his mouth. He knew all to well that recent times had been tough for Anemone. He hadn't meant to infer that she was incapable of asking for such perks for her associates. Still, he knew that he had a way of bungling this sort of thing. He was ready to take his punishment.

Instead, his discomfort began to melt as her laughter filled the room. He looked up and was momentarily captivated as she rocked back and forth in her seat. "I take it that the drill went well?"

"Oh Dominic," she said. "This was no drill! The Coralians attacked and it was, again, my job to save the day!"

Another attack! Had he been alone, Dominic would have tossed his work across the room. How could Dewey feel that she was ready for more of these things? Sure, she had done well in her first meeting against the Antibody Coralians. But she was still reeling from her encounters with Eureka and the Gekkostate crew. She couldn't be ready for such a thing...especially without him.

He opened his mouth to speak his anger but her hand jutted out again and pressed itself against his lips. "I know what you're thinking," she said slyly. "Poor, simple Dominic! You don't know how good this was for me."

She looked to the side before reaching down and plucking Gulliver from the floor. She began to stroke him. With eyes still firmly planted on Gulliver, she began her story: "There were so many more of them this time. And they were all the colors of the rainbow. It was like thousands of multicolored balls had fallen on the town. And they bled the brightest red when I ripped them the shreds. And then the red took over and, after a while, it was all I could see."

"Anemone, I'm sorry...."

"Don't apologize! I'm not finished." She exhaled deeply and went back to stroking Gulliver. "Once it was over, Dewey had me dress back into civilian clothes and we walked through the town. And you wouldn't believe it: everyone rushed out and cheered us on. They even knew my name! They would say 'you saved my son or daughter' or 'I wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for you'! The town was destroyed and they were covered in Coralian gunk. But they all came out and thanked me. Can you imagine?"

"No, I..."

"And then we reached the mayor of the town. And he bowed before me, took my hand and kissed it. This one here," she said as she stuck her left hand in his face.

Dominic took the hand in both of his and looked it over. It was as unblemished as the last time he saw it. But the proud, exuberant look on her face seemed to show that there was something special or invisible about this mark. He didn't understand it but he nodded as if he did.

"Dewey seemed altogether disgusted by the mayor," she said. "Perhaps it was just something that he could understand and I couldn't."

"He does hate weakness."

"Perhaps...I can see how he would fall from Dewey's standards. But he was also a man who could recognize when someone else had to take over a job. And he gratefully accepted our help. I mean, it was really just amazing that..."

Dominic began to tune her out as she droned on about her encounters with the mayor and civilians in the one particular town. Deep down, he felt that she understood that this was all a show. He just couldn't understand how she took joy in it. He only had slight hints about Dewey's plans but he knew that they were less than noble. And that, in the end, they needed the vaguest support of the people. They were all just pawns.

"Did you just come here to tell me how much people loved you," he blurted out, interrupting her.

For a moment, he caught the faint look of hurt in her eyes. She quickly shook it off and shot back, "I thought that you would have liked to hear about this. It's my success. It's what we've both been wanting."

"No, it's not that I didn't..."

"No, no, it's fine." She wrinkled her nose at Gulliver. She lifted him up and gave him a quick sniff. She picked him up and held him out to Dominic. "That said, if you want to show your appreciation to me, you can make sure Gulliver gets his bath this week. It's the least you can do."

"I..."

She smiled and plopped him on the table in front of Dominic. Almost instantly, the table began to tilt under his weight. Dominic hopped up and tried to steady the table. "Again," she said, "this is the least you can do."

She gave a girlish wave and ran out of the room. Gulliver's weight became too much and the table toppled. Dominic managed to reach out and grab him before the whole thing fell. His paperwork flew into the air and feel haphazardly around him. He nearly fell over but managed to pull Gulliver to his chest and use that momentum to land in his seat. He could not like that ball of mass fall to floor no matter how much he may have wanted.

She was right: it was the least he owed her.


End file.
